(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an applicator for applying a dental sealant. The present invention relates particularly to an applicator for applying a dental sealant to an interproximal surface of a tooth.
(b) Description of Prior Art
Dental sealants consist of plastic films that are applied to the chewing surfaces of teeth to seal the fissures therein and prevent caries.
The surface of the teeth is generally made of enamel, which is negatively charged and is normally covered with a biofilm consisting of physiological fluid and bacteria.
In order to insure bonding of the sealant material with the enamel, the dental surface to be treated is first isolated to prevent saliva contamination, cleaned with a water-washable cleansing agent and removed of plaque. The dental surface is dried and an etchant is applied onto the surface for a period of time to create pores in the enamel. The etched surface is then washed with water, dried and kept from contamination with saliva. The sealant material is then applied, for instance with a brush or a dropper, onto the dental surface according to the manufacturers' instructions. Thereafter the sealant is cured, thereby mechanically bonding with the enamel surface. Finally, the sealant may be polished to obtain a smooth finish.
A problem with dental sealants is that they cannot be applied on interproximal dental surfaces, due to a difficult access thereto and to a risk of contaminating the sealant material with the saliva, or other fluids, accumulated in the interproximal space between adjoining teeth.
It is known to use dental floss or tape to remove food debris, plaque and the like from interproximal dental surfaces. Dental floss is prepared from nylon or other suitable threads woven together to form a larger thread that may be coated with an insoluble wax such as paraffin.
It is also known to impregnate dental floss with chemicals such as cleaning agents. For example, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 185,666 issued to Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 2,667,443 to Ashton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,979 to Muhler et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,539 to Corliss et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,675 to Wilkinson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,487 to VanBeneden, U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,913 to Hill et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,333 to Homola et al.
It must be noted that there are presently no durable preservative treatments against starting interproximal caries; in such cases, dentists either do not treat the caries while subsequently monitoring the same, treat the caries with costly and invasive restorative techniques or treat with a non-durable and expensive treatment the caries using an anti-microbial product.
It would therefore be highly desirable to provide a device with which one could apply a sealing agent to an interproximal dental surface.
It would also be highly desirable to provide a method for applying a sealing agent to an interproximal dental surface.